8 June 2006

8 June 2006

Inaugural Annual Basker Vashee Memorial Lecture A Nation in Dire Straits. Law, Politics and the Crisis in Zimbabwe by Dr. Alex Tawanda Magaisa. De Balie, Amsterdam.

30 September 2005

Public Debate Africa & Globalisation & EPAs with Yash Tandon and Kriss Douma. Felix Meritis, Keizersgracht 324, Amsterdam.

18 June 2005

Basker Vashee speaking on Amsterdam Forum Making Poverty History. A Debate on Africa and Debt for Radio Netherlands.

27 June 2004

Dot Keet addresses the Globalisation Festival [short report in Dutch] held at the University of Amsterdam. Acknowledging the importance of trade for Africa, Keet stresses the need for increased market access for Africa and an end to Northern protectionism, particularly considering the bias towards a few commodities and markets characteristic of Africa. She warnes, however, of the dysfunctional impact for responsible development of the pre-eminent role given to trade in the current dominant international regime. Keet sees greater potential lying with the emergence of new alliances of developing countries (G20, G33, G90) at the WTO Ministrial in Cancún in 2003.

21 April 2004

Public meeting Africa and Globalisation Felix Meritis, Amsterdam. Co-organised by TNI, XminY, Both Ends and NiZA.

15-17 April 2004

International Experts' Meeting Globalisation and Sub-Saharan Africa European Parliament (Brussels). Co-organised by TNI, XminY, Both Ends and NiZA in co-operation with the Confederal Group of the European United Left-Nordic Green Left. Key issues on the agenda include the restoration of the concept of a social state, the cancellation of debt and the right to protection of African markets. The aim is to discuss the launch of a Europe-wide solidarity campaign in support of these demands. The delegation from Africa included Yash Tandon (SEATINI, Zimbabwe), Charles Abugre (ISODEC, Ghana), Yassine Yall (UNIFEM-AT, Senegal), Demba Moussa Dembele (Forum for African Alternatives, Senegal), and Adebayo Olukoshi (CODESRIA, Senegal). Invited to the meeting are European parliamentarians, development agencies, and members of the African diaspora in Europe.. Declaration and papers available online.

5 November-19 December 2003

TNI participated in an online discussion with Dutch Minister for Development Cooperation, Agnes van Ardenne, about the Africa Policy Paper Strong People, Weak States. The goal of this paper is, in particular, to highlight the positive developments and to stimulate an open debate about the policy on Africa, Talking about Africa with Africans, building upon successes and starting dialogue from the point of interest of African people themselves. Each Monday morning for seven weeks a new topic of debate was launched on this website. After the Minister had the opportunity to set out her policy position, both Dutch people and Africans - including young people, non-profit (development) organisations, politicians and business - were challenged to give their own reaction. Summary of the discussion

6 September 2003

A Street Cinema for Water Solidarity, showing video: Solidarity and Crisis in Orange Farm, South Africa. Satoko Kishimoto (Japan) from TNI's Water Justice project, and Claudia Torrelli (Uruguay) from Sedes/CEO, spoke on Water Privatisation, Amsterdam.

8-10 January 2003

African Skillshare on Public Finance, Energy Restructuring and Climate Change Maputo, Mozambique, organised by TNI Energy project with Global Village Cameroon.

29 August 2002

TNI workshop Sustainable Energy for All? Resistance and Alternatives to the Global Commodification, Deregulation and Privatisation of Energy organised by the TNI Energy Project in co-operation with Municipal Services Project, Johannesburg, South Africa.

29-30 November 2000

Relations between Africa and the European Union in the 21st Century Civil Society Declaration to the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of SADC and the EU. Meeting in Gaborone.

12 May 2000

TNI, XminY and ATTAC (Netherlands) host a public meeting at the Rode Hoed in Amsterdam on "Social Movements Today. Strategic Steps Forward". Speakers include TNI fellows Susan George (France), Joel Rocamora (Philippines) and Dot Keet (South Africa); Kees Hudig and Theo Ruyter (ATTAC). 100 participants.

May 1999

TNI Forum "Prospects for Democratisation in Nigeria" at La Maison Africaine in Amsterdam. Chaired by Caroline van Dullemen, secretary to National Advisory Board on Conflict Prevention, Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs / Development Co-operation. Speaker Oronto Douglas (IJAW Youth Movement/Chiccoco Movement for Democracy, Nigeria) and discussant Chudi Ukpabi, a Nigerian journalist based in Holland. 50 participants.

October 1995

Launch of the Association of African Professionals in the Netherlands (ASSAP) at "Africa Alive", a co-hosted cultural event held in Amsterdam. With the aim to promote a more positive image of the African continent in Europe, the programme includes African dance, storytelling and singing as well as a discussion on democracy and development in Africa, led by the Dutch Minister for Development Cooperation.

11-13 October

International Workshop Towards the Economic Restoration of Sub-Saharan Africa on successful projects in Africa, held at the Amsterdam office, with 30 African staff representatives or promising projects. The programme results in a research project on design criteria and technological innovation regimes in development cooperation. A report detailing the presentations made and disussions held is produced by TNI and presented to the Global Coalition on Africa (GCA) held in Maastricht in November.

May 1995

TNI Annual Fellows' Meeting in Amsterdam. The programme includes "Conflicts in Africa: The Role of the United Nations and Cuba" with contributions from Victoria Brittain and Oscar Oramas.

4-8 May 1994

TNI Annual Fellows' Meeting in Amsterdam. The programme includes Victoria Brittan on "Angola and Mozambique: Beyond Chaos towards Globalisation", Basker Vashee and John Cavanagh on "Africa and Alternatives to Bretton Woods Institutions", and the workshop session "Central America, Philippines, Africa: New Political Culture in the South".

3-5 December

Workshop on The Economic Crisis in Sub-Saharan Africa and African Visions for the Future of the Continent, held in Amsterdam, with 30 African intellectuals participating, including Sithembiso Nyoni, winner of the Right Livelihood Award, Abdullahi An-Na'im, expert on Islam and Human Rights, Charles Abugre, then director of the Ghana office of the Third World Network, and Erskine Childers, former UN official. The workshop resulted in the launch of a project to research what has worked in Africa and why with regards to development projects.

November 1992

Publication of TNIdeas No. 6 on Uses and Abuses of African Debt by Susan George (cover story).

May 1991

TNI co-organised a large international conference designed by Jan Nederveen Pieterse: "The Decolonisation of Imagination: Europe in Reverse Video". Held in Paradiso, some 35 scholars and writers from all over the world gathered to explore western images of non-western cultures, and vice versa. The majority of participants were Asian, African and Afro-American scholars and/or writers.

14 March 1990

PTW, Haile Selassi, Doctoral Candidate at the Department of International Relations at the University of Amsterdam spoke on "Current Developments in Ethiopia and the Realignment of Forces at the Horn of Africa".

14-18 November 1984

TNI Annual Fellows' Meeting. Salman Rushdie attends. Basker relays his desire to step down as director and dedicate his energy to his Southern Africa work.

3 May 1984

Film evening with filmmaker Alan Bell. He introduces the evening with a lecture on "Packaging Politics for Television". Shown are: "We've always done it this way" (Lucas Aerospace workers); "Borderline" (on South Africa); "Rule Brittannia"; and "Wise Men and the Wheel" (on Gandhi).

26 November 1983

The South African Educational Project is launched at TNI at a reception. The public is addressed by T. Nkobi, Treasurer General and Executive Member of the African National Congress of South Africa (ANC).

2 March 1983

Follow-up visit to the TNI by Thabo Mbeki to discuss the new TNI project on South Africa.

23 January 1983

Lecture by Basker Vashee on Southern Africa for Dutch development workers departing for Zimbabwe.

22 January 1983

Thabo Mbeki visits TNI to discuss TNI's work on South Africa.

July 1982

TNI organises a major conference, "European Parliamentary Conference on South African Destabilisation Efforts", for parliamentarians in The Hague, where government ministers from Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Angola deliver briefings on the South African government's economic and military destabilisation of their nations. They receive important pledges of support from the assembled parliamentarians.

1 March 1981

First of a seminar series on "State and Nation Formation in North East Africa".

31 May-1 June 1980

Samuel Rubin Seminar: "Southern Africa" with Basker Vashee and ANC representative Ruth First.

2-4 November 1979

TIE is invited to the United Nations Hearing on TNC's in South Africa. The hearing is held in London.

May 1979

African Liberation Research Conference, 4-day conference on Southern Africa for liberation movements.

14 October 1977

TNI starts a working group on Southern Africa, headed by Basker Vashee. The group meets once a week.

February 1977

TNI Special Report "US Arms Deliveries to South Africa: The Italian Connection" by Michael Klare.

22 January 1977

In a public event, the TNI/CIS report on the uprising in "Black South Africa Explodes" is released and a related TNI activity in the UN organised. It is the only detailed account of events in South Africa since the uprising, which began, June 1976, in Soweto. The Observer reviews the arms trade mentioned in the report on its front page. The timing of the release in Europe coincides with the trade union boycott of South Africa. In this respect the idea starts to establish a dialogue between progressive Africa and Europe. Basil Davidson advises on the level at which such a dialogue should begin.